Archives for March 2014

Many baristas dream of starting their own coffee company. Charles Korson in Traverse City, Michigan decided to make his dream a reality. We asked the founder of Fortunate Coffee Co. what inspires him to work in coffee, how he brews coffee at home, and what we should do in the Great White North.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Why do you work in specialty coffee?

I think about how lucky I am every day, to be able to work with so many delicious things and to serve so many awesome people. I get to watch customers’ children grew up in the shop, just as I get to watch …

Here at the Compass we like to joke that barista competitions would make an excellent subject for a Christopher Guest film. Evidently, the subject has attracted the attention of at least one independent filmmaker. Dripis a new documentary from director Rock Baijnauth. The film “looks at the…

Craft coffee is slowly but surely creeping its way into mainstream culture. Whether it be Jerry Seinfield visiting Handsome Coffee, or Kuerig’s need to lampoon artisanal shops in a recent add, the public is starting to notice a growing demographic wants a higher quality cup. Not surprisingly, some of specialty coffee’s earliest adapters have been creative types, and musicians are no exception. In particular, these three bands love coffee more than the average musician.

Arcade Fire

An entire decade later, Arcade Fire’s debut release Funeral remains the album most likely to be playing in your local coffee shop. It’s only fitting, because the band members are avid coffee fanatics. The Montreal-based group is known …

The Indiana Jones of Coffee

Todd Carmichael is an international man of mystery. The man has transversed Antarctica on foot, written for Esquire, and is the star of his own reality show on the Travel Channel. He also knows how to brew an incredible cup of coffee.